Painting yellow is a bitch!

[Grimmnar]

Hello all,

Painting yellow, what a bitch. I asked 12 painters, all ranging from hobby level to professional painters with years professionally in the hobby, and no two methods were the same.
Here is a link to a YT playlist I cobbled together of YT  Pro Painter's videos about painting yellow. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_QlcHM1NHoR4MYLnd8Bxs80SB4uo_HDq&si=Y00xzsAt1uxqpjIt
So, for everyone else, how do you paint yellow?

Grimm

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/FdMEW1U36hFQZ67m/?mibextid=oFDknk

https://grimmnarsgrotto.blogspot.com/2024/09/painting-yellow-is-bitch.html

[Burgundavia]

I use Reaper's Pink as a basecoat - makes it so much nicer. Also airbrush

[Norm]

The new range of Fanatic paints from Army Painter are highly pigmented. I have bought yellow and red and had good results.

[blacksoilbill]

Like Burgundavia, I use a pink undercoat. That revolutionised painting yellow for me.

[2010sunburst]

Not tried a pink undercoat, must give it a try.  I usually go for a dark sand undercoat, highlighted up with light sand, and top painted with Daler Rowney FW ink.  It’s the most pigmented yellow colour I’ve found.  This works for orange as well, at least in my experience.

[fred]

White undercoat, and contrast yellow - both the contrast yellows I have tried have excellent coverage, and depth of colour. Total game changer over the normal thin yellow acrylic paints.

[Patrice]

White undercoat, then light kaki / greenish sand colour. Then yellow.

Same for blonde hair: highlights of golden brown, or even gold, above greenish sand.

Never thought about using pink! 

[Michi]

White undercoat, then light kaki / greenish sand colour. Then yellow.

Same for blonde hair: highlights of golden brown, or even gold, above greenish sand.

Never thought about using pink! 

Exactly that!

[2010sunburst]

That’s interesting Fred.  The contrast yellow I bought, exactly for this, is almost completely transparent.  I must have a duff bottle……

[2010sunburst]

Patrice/Michi, I can see that working for a cold sulphur type yellow, and it’s close to what I use for blonde hair, but doesn’t it turn a warm egg yolk yellow colour a bit muddy? 

[modelwarrior]

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=contrast+yellow+paint&mid=0D2CDAD194536782EAB10D2CDAD194536782EAB1&FORM=VIRE

[Daeothar]

Back when I was younger (and obviously stupider), I painted my Imperial Fists over a black basecoat

If my memory serves me right, it went something like this:

Black undercoat
Medium to light brown basecoat
Many, many layers of a saturated, warm yellow (not that many, but still at least 4) till the colour was even
Progressively lighter highlights with a lighter lemony yellow mixed with the previous yellow
Shading with a thinned down light brown (like Snakebite Leather)
Edge highlights with the previous light yellow and white

All in all, easily 10 to 15 layers just for the basic colour of the minis. I really had more time than sense back then...

Of course nowadays I do the same with a white basecoat and two layers of yellow ink, some highlights in white and some shading in a light brown.

[has.been]

I use Yellow Ochre as an undercoat, then highlight with yellow.
Must try a pink undercoat though.

[fred]

That’s interesting Fred.  The contrast yellow I bought, exactly for this, is almost completely transparent.  I must have a duff bottle……

The two yellows I have are
IronJawz Yellow - and mid yellow and
Iyaden yellow - a more orangey yellow

Both cover great - in fact I have had good coverage from all the contrast paints I have tried. I few of the darker shades don’t do so much of the contrast effect, but I still like them for easy of painting.

Struggling to find a good photo - but the two flyers at the left foreground are IronJawz yellow - likely just a single coat.

[Patrice]

Patrice/Michi, I can see that working for a cold sulphur type yellow, and it’s close to what I use for blonde hair, but doesn’t it turn a warm egg yolk yellow colour a bit muddy?

If it happens I may add another coat of yellow on some places... I'm not a very good painter anyway.